UPDATED: Woman hospitalized after fire dies

BOARDMAN, Ohio- A Boardman woman pulled from an apartment building fire Monday morning has died.

Boardman's fire chief said one female victim, who was carried out of Millcreek Village Apartments and taken to the hospital, did not survive.

The woman has been identified as 45-year-old Shawna Carney. While the exact cause of her death has not been determined, the chief told 21 News she had other medical conditions and was using an oxygen tank. An autopsy is planned for Tuesday.

At this time he does not know just what caused the morning fire that broke out shortly after 8 a.m. but officials said it started on the third floor and quickly spread from there. The State Fire Marshal and insurance investigators are investigating.

The American Red Cross was on hand to help the families in 12 apartments that have been displaced by the flames.

The organization has been overwhelmed in recent weeks with a number of incidences requiring their assistance.

Furman Arden, a Red Cross volunteer, said "We've had a lot of fires just locally with the cold weather and we're in dire need of volunteers. Also dire need of donations."

The Red Cross does not receive any federal funding. Volunteers fear that if things continue as they are, they will be in desperate need of the community's help by early summer.

BOARDMAN, Ohio - Fire pushed a dozen families out of their homes at a Boardman apartment complex on Monday morning.

Flames broke out in one of the units at the Mill Creek Village Apartments.

The blaze started on the third floor and spread quickly from there. While there was a firewall between the units to prevent further damage, the flames were strong and fire officials had to worry about getting all the residents out first before they could tackle the fire.

The smell of smoke quickly led to heavy clouds billowing from the building.

Boardman firefighters arrived shortly after 8:00 a.m. Multiple units inside the building made it tough for fire crews to determine if everyone made it out safely.

"We were knocking on doors and evacuating people. Because the fire was overhead, a lot of people on the lower floors weren't even aware that the building was on fire," said Boardman Assistant Fire Chief Tim Drummond.

With the assistance from neighboring Austintown and Canfield fire departments, the focused turned to putting the fire out.

Residents were chased out in the cold and nearby neighbors say they awoke to a smell and sight they wouldn't ever expect.

"I smelled smoke through our windows and I glanced out the window and the building was on fire across from us," said Karen Kollar a neighbor.

"I was in shock. It was like a movie almost, it was pretty scary," said neighbor Ryan Connoly.

A female victim was carried out of the burning building and Drummond says she was in pretty bad shape.

"She was unconscious. Our crews rescued her, brought her out of the building and we handed her over to the EMS people. The ambulance crews, paramedics were on the scene with us and she was transported to the hospital," Drummond said.

The Boardman Fire Department is still investigating what ignited the blaze.

The American Red Cross is coordinating long-term shelter for the families who are left to find somewhere else to stay.

Right now we do not have any damage estimates, but we're told that the charred portion of the building is a total loss.

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